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The Inevitable Politicisation of Everything…Including This Blog

Something new

Everything has become politicised. From football to television, award shows, celebrity, and video games, there is seldom escape. Some may argue that this is a good thing, and in essence, they’re right.

Politics has always been important, but throughout modern history, rarely has it ever become exciting. Right now, we are living in one of those exciting times. After years of relative stability, the Western world is on the cusp of change—on all fronts.

Technologically, mankind is moving at a speed unmatched by any other period in our development. Politically, we are teetering on a tightrope. ‘Exciting’ politics coincides with nail-biting diplomacy. When fear is at its highest, individuals become political because they need to be.

Democracy has the potential to divide as much as it does the power to unite. Freedom of speech should bring us together rather than tear us apart, but too often is its utility found in the latter. Too often do we believe limiting free speech is the answer.

In the war of ideas, proponents fall alongside their ideologies. Nowadays, instead of being convinced, people delve further into their own denial, ensconced in an echo chamber that rebounds only the thoughts they agree with. One channel, one website, one party.

There is seemingly nothing in between the ambiguous ‘left’ and the ambiguous ‘right.’ All nuance has been lost. You call yourself a centrist, but isn’t that just another way of saying you’re undecided? And if you’re not a leftist, you must be a member of the alt-right.

The minutia of politics has been replaced with two extremes that barely describe anyone and two sides that have more issues than they care to acknowledge.

We need to have a discussion that crosses the political spectrum and the generational gap. We need to be ready to speak up for our beliefs and convert to others when proven wrong.

The inevitable politicisation of everything doesn’t have to be bad if we don’t let it become so.

Our media doesn’t have to be propaganda and neither do we. Once the fear and hyperbole abate, we might just be better off as a more informed and active people—globally connected by the internet.

That’s the best case scenario as far as I can comprehend it.

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The Millennial Merit is here to spark a discussion on current affairs and social issues. Video games and popular culture will be on our agenda as always, but critique will now be applied to a wide range of topics, including politics and society.

Too many people abstain from the political process simply because they don’t know much about the candidates or issues. Nowadays, with the internet and all, it’s easy to find out whom you may align with.